


Deep Cover + Deep Cleaning + Gut Instinct

by Broooookiecrisp



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Action & Romance, Blood and Injury, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Platonic Relationships, Team as Family, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:21:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24068026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broooookiecrisp/pseuds/Broooookiecrisp
Summary: When a new and illusive threat makes its way onto the Phoenix's radar, the team must pull all of their skills in order keep the threat at bay. Mac and Jack are sent in on a deep cover assignment to bring the threat down from the inside out. But how deep is too deep? The agents get themselves into a situation where the only option is to trust their instincts. Lines are muddled, and nothing is black and white. Who can they trust?
Relationships: Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)/Original Female Character(s), Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016)/Original Female Character(s), Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Kudos: 10





	1. Potentially A Big Problem

**Author's Note:**

> Let me start out by stating the obvious... I do not own any of the MacGyver characters or story lines. With that being said, I am going to try and keep this as original as possible while still keeping the characters as the ones we know and love. This is my first delve into the MacGyver world. Please be gentle with me lol

**The Phoenix Foundation… Somewhere in Los Angeles**

It was a typical start to a typical day at the Phoenix. The team had just been summoned by a colorful text from Matty demanding that they report to the War Room. If he was being honest, Mac wasn’t at all surprised to receive said text. Things around the Phoenix had been on high alert the past few days, but the agents were only being briefed on a need to know basis. Phrases like, “Above your clearance level” and “I can neither confirm nor deny,” were being tossed around like it was nobody’s business. In fact, when Jack had pressed Matty for more information, that was exactly the answer he received. “It’s not your business, Dalton. You’ll know when I want you to know.”

Since then, the team had been patiently biding their time. Well, most of them anyway. Mac was fairly sure at one point he had overheard Jack trying to recruit Riley into some off the books cyber sleuthing, but Riley had been quick to shut him down. She had been burned too many times by one of Jack’s crazy plans. Matty ALWAYS found out what they were up to. Riley even confided in Mac once, half-jokingly, that she believed Matty knew what they were going to do before they even had the thought to do it.

Mac was almost at the end of the hall, ready to enter the War Room when his phone pinged again. It was Jack.

**J: _“Hey buddy, I was running a little late this morning. Please tell me you haven’t already entered the lion’s den…?”_**

Mac stopped short just outside the door and smirked down at his phone.

**M: _“I was just about to walk in. Too afraid to walk in alone?”_**

Mac already knew the answer, he just wanted to make him say it.

**_J: “Damn straight I am! Remember our pact? You go kaboom… I go kaboom. If there was ever a time to play that card, it’s now. I’m on my way up in the elevator. Just give me thirty seconds.”_**

By the time Mac had read the final text, the elevator doors opened revealing a put together but somehow still disheveled Jack Dalton. He sauntered down the hallway toward Mac with a sheepish grin stretched across his scruffy face. His hair was still wet from the last-minute shower he had taken before rushing in for Matty’s urgent summons.

He stopped to greet his partner with an enthusiastic pat on the back. “Good man, good man! Let’s get this show on the road.” Jack stepped aside and gestured for Mac to go ahead of him. “As always, brains before beauty.”

Mac huffed and shot his friend a bemused smirk before walking past him into the War Room. To both of their surprise, they only found a waiting Riley and Bozer. Matty was alarmingly missing. For someone with such a petite stature, her absence in a room was noticeably tangible. Mac looked to Riley for any clue as to what was going on, but she just shrugged her shoulders in unawareness.

Jack opened his mouth to remark on how he wouldn’t have rushed around if he had known Matty was running late too, but before he had the chance Matty spoke from the door frame behind them. Her sudden and unnoticed entrance caused Jack to jump up from the arm of the chair he was perched on. Mac couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. It never got old watching his macho partner revert to a scared little boy when their boss caught him off guard.

Matty gathered the group’s attention as she took her place at the front of the room. “Now that Blondie and Walker Texas Ranger have decided to grace us with their presence, maybe we can actually get some work done.” She tossed an exasperated look towards Jack.

Jack side stepped the accusation by getting straight to business. “What’s going on boss lady? Everybody has been running around here like a pack of dogs that wouldn’t bite a biscuit!”

Jack’s Texas vernacular was lost on everyone except Riley. You could hear the smile in her voice when she responded. “That would be Jack’s way of asking why everything has seemed so cloak and dagger around here lately. It feels like this place is set to explode. We’ve been walking on eggshells all week.”

Riley’s assessment of the current state of things was echoed by the rest of the team. Matty braced herself before presenting her news. Her eyes locked on the only person in the room that would have an inkling as to what she was about to say.

Jack looked anxious under the weight of her stare. “What is it Matty?”

Matty swallowed her nerves before she responded. “We potentially have a very big problem.”

Mac’s interest perked at her use of words. “Potentially? What does that mean?”

Matty knew that wasn’t going to be lost on Mac. “It means that we don’t yet know the validity of the threat.”

Mac was just about to press her for more when Jack continued. “Just how big are we talkin’ here Matty? Like, slightly larger than our usual problems big? Or like, ‘Everything’s bigger in Texas’ big?

Jack’s eyes widened at Matty’s confirmation of size. “The second one, Dalton. If this intel checks out in the slightest, it will make Cairo look like a day at the beach.”

Now she definitely had Mac’s attention. “Why is there so much doubt surrounding the accuracy of the intel? And why haven’t we been able to get confirmation?”

Matty seemed reluctant to explain. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell them. It was more like she wasn’t sure how to proceed. “Because Mac, up until a few weeks ago this threat was nothing more than a whisper. The intelligence community would have classified it as a conspiracy theory at best. And if they are real, they most certainly have never operated on U.S. soil before.”

Bozer chimed in from behind Mac. “They? Who’s ‘they’?”

Mac could have cut the tension in the room with his Swiss Army Knife. Everyone was staring at Matty waiting for her to go on. “They are a clandestine criminal organization known as The Illicit.”

The room fell silent as everyone looked from person to person waiting for recognition to set in. Mac studied Bozer and Riley’s faces but all he found were expressions of confusion that mirrored his own.

The increasingly uncomfortable silence was broken by the sound of Jack’s amused laughter. Matty did not look happy with the older agent’s cavalier attitude with the matter at hand. “Oh, come on now Matty,” Jack guffawed. “Don’t look at me like that. You have got to be kiddin’ me with this?!”

Matty’s only response was to intensify the stare she was boring into Jack. The agent looked away from her to read the rest of the room. His teammates were all looking to him to elaborate. He sighed and changed his tone a bit to escape Director Webber’s fury. “These guys might as well be the Boogeyman. There has not once been any actionable intel on them. Like Matty said, only whispers and rumors. And even that is being generous. The only real time you hear their name is when a crime occurs that can’t be solved or linked to anyone else. After a while, we just came to the conclusion that they were an urban legend. Someone somewhere made the whole thing up as a scapegoat for really elaborate crimes, and people have been trying to pass things off as them ever since. More times than not, the rumors get traced back to the original source and the whole story gets debunked all over again.”

Matty picked up where Jack left off. “Everything Jack said is true. No one has ever been able to prove their existence before. That is, maybe until now…” Matty turned and pulled up some documents onto the screen behind her. They mostly just seemed to be newspaper articles detailing violent crimes, terrorist attacks, and missing persons. Most of the dates of the crimes tended to correspond with major political events across the world. To an untrained eye, this would all look like nothing more than coincidence, but the more Mac stared the clearer the pattern became.

The answer was dancing on the tip of his tongue. His brain was almost itching with the anticipation of solving this puzzle. There was still something he was missing, but what was it? It was clear that the crimes and the political advancements were tied together. The only thing not totally clear was the actual link. Without tangible proof they would all be labeled as separate events with oddly coincidental timelines. Some of these articles dated back as much as 40 years. The most recent were in the last few months and all transpired in Washington, D.C.

Mac called attention to that fact. “So, I take it red flags went up when someone noticed the recent patterns in D.C. matched a lot of the ones from Europe and Asia?”

Matty nodded. “A friend in Washington sent this to me personally. Outside of my friend, Phoenix are the only ones who know about this yet.”

Bozer posed a question. “Were they too afraid to bring it to any of the well-known agencies because they didn’t want to look like a loon?”

Matty confirmed his suspicion. “That, and she didn’t know who she could trust with this type of information if it all turns out to be true. Mass amounts of corruption will be exposed with this if it can be proven.”

Riley said what they all were thinking. “And I take it that is where we come in? How are supposed to do that if this is all the information that has managed to be collected in 40 years?! It’s not much to go on.”

Matty had been saving the best piece of information for last. “Since the origin of The Illicit, no one has even been able to associate the name to a face… until now.” She clicked through to the next and final page of info that had been gathered. Listed on the screen were a series of wire transactions between a newly elected Senator and a man named Harrison Bell.

Jack asked the question this time. “Okay, so what’s the big deal? Some rich guy donated to the Senator’s campaign. Big whoop. Happens all the time.”

Mac addressed the concern. “Yeah Jack, except these transfers weren’t from Bell to the Senator. They were the other way around. Why would the Senator be making large payments to a British businessman?”

Mac was studying all the information in front of him. Matty’s contact had included several candid photos of Harrison Bell with the new Senator from California. Both men looked perfectly unassuming. The photos merely seemed to depict a conversation over lunch between two acquaintances. As he peered over the data a certain sequence of numbers started to stand out to him. He turned and made a request from Riley. “Riles can you overlay all the dates from the D.C. news articles with the dates from these wire transfers?”

Riley did what he asked with just a few strokes of her keys. She expressed her admiration once she saw what he was seeing. “Whoa… Mac for the win.”

Within a week of each wire transfer there was a correlating newspaper article for a different crime. Each one of those crimes somehow directly impacted the Senator’s standing. Things were all starting to add up now.

Riley seemed to be on the same page. “The Senator is using The Illicit to gain political clout. I don’t know… Something about this feels bigger than that. The Illicit has to be getting more out of this than just cash. They have been expertly hidden in the shadows all this time. It doesn’t make sense for them to risk this kind of exposure for a quick pay out.”

Mac was fully engaged with Riley’s line of reasoning. “I think you’re right, Riles. I don’t think the Senator was the only one looking to gain a little political clout. If this is The Illicit and they have never operated on American soil before, they may be looking to make a foothold with political favors. And if all that is true, it won’t stop there. These guys are master chameleons. They literally hide in plain sight like they have belonged there the entire time. We need to head this off before they take root.”

Jack was listening to his two kids talk with a sense of pride. They were only missing one thing. “Does it concern anyone else that there are two wire transfers on that list that don’t have crimes to match them yet?”

Mac was too caught up in the excitement of solving the puzzle that he had missed that fact. That was one thing he had always admired about Jack. He was a big picture kind of guy, while Mac focused on the details. That’s probably why they worked so well together as partners. They balanced each other out.

Jack’s observation set Matty up perfectly for her next point of order. “My thoughts exactly, Jack. That is why I am sending your team in for a reconnaissance mission. Observe and report only.”

“Does that mean we are headed to D.C.?” Bozer asked.

“Actually, no.” Matty responded. “According to Bell’s upcoming trip itinerary he will be here in Los Angeles with Senator Jenkins. That gives us the perfect opportunity to gather new intel and find out what their next step is going to be.”

Jack’s face lit up like Christmas morning. “You know what that means?!”

Riley grimaced playfully. “Oh no! That means the return of the butt pillow and the Willie Nelson CDs.”

Jack fired back, “Hey now, don’t hate on the butt pillow. You know what? I’m gonna get you one too. You’ll become a believer once you try it out for yourself.”

Mac listened to his friends’ light banter and smiled to himself. They had been on lots of recon missions together in the past, so they were all well aware of Jack’s affinity for them. According to Jack, these types of missions were about the closest thing to a vacation they were going to see. Mac usually shared Jack’s sentiment but for some reason he just had a funny feeling about this one. It felt like something big was lurking just around the corner, and Mac had serious doubts that this would end up being just an observe and report kind of mission. Change was in the air and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He couldn’t tell yet if that was from the ominous feeling creeping up on him, or if it was the excitement of the unknown. Either way, he was preparing to brace himself because things were about to get shaken up.


	2. Two for One Murder Combo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I do not own MacGyver or any of the characters from that show. Regardless, I am really enjoying writing them and hope I am doing them justice. Please do leave your opinions in the comments.
> 
> Anything that is highlighted in bold lettering during this chapter is dialog that takes place over the phone or over surveillance. Let me know if that gets too confusing.

**_Stakeout Mission: Bell’s Malibu Beach House… This Place Is Ridiculous._ **

****

Orders had been given and their mission was clear. Mac and the rest of the team were to collect as much information as possible on this fact-finding endeavor. They were under strict instructions to make themselves as small as possible. Do not get yourself spotted, and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES were they to engage with any of the suspects! Matty could not have stressed that last part anymore emphatically.

They had been parked across the street from Bell’s lush Malibu mansion for almost six hours now. To the outside world, they would simply appear as a run of the mill lawn and garden van setting up shop to service the neighborhood. But in Mac’s line of work, things were rarely ever what they seemed. The inside of their unsuspecting van was equipped with the most state of the art surveillance tools the government had to offer. Thanks to the innovative super team that was Mac and Riley, they even had a few gadgets that weren’t currently on the government’s radar. But even with all this high-tech gear, they had yet to obtain one usable piece of information to report back to Matty.

Jack had been perched comfortably in the driver’s seat with his trusty pillow the entire time, but a man can only sit still for so long. He was starting to feel left out in the front seat all by his lonesome. Bozer had joined Mac and Riley in the back a few hours into the mission and left Jack stranded in the land of no conversation. Being quiet for long periods of time was not in Jack’s nature and he was bubbling over with the need to make somebody laugh with his Texan charm.

Throwing his resolve out the window, Jack turned around and tossed one of the numerous paperclips scattered along the van at the back of Mac’s head. Jack chuckled to himself at his partner’s reaction. When Mac finally realized the source of the flying object, he slipped out of his headphones to address Jack. “What’s wrong Jack? Did you see movement in the front of the house?”

Jack grinned sheepishly back at the younger agent. “Nah man. Everything is still crickets. I’m startin’ to go looney toons up here. Why don’t you scoot up here and take a snack break with me?”

The excitement was rolling off of Jack and it made it impossible for Mac to deny his request. He hauled the cooler packed with snacks to the front of the van and took a seat next to Jack. It made Mac feel warm inside watching his partner light up at his very presence. Or maybe it was just the snacks…? Either way, it was always nice to see.

Jack started asking Mac questions as he rummaged through the cooler. “So, what have you guys got back there so far? It has to be more interesting than what I’ve been looking at for the past six hours…”

Mac smiled to himself. He didn’t miss the pouty tone in Jack’s voice at being left on lookout duty. “Actually, we haven’t heard anything important. We haven’t even heard anything interesting. I figured since this guy is like the genius of all criminal geniuses that we would at least get some entertainment. All they have been doing is talking to a party planner. Sounds like his daughter is about the throw a huge birthday thing. I now know way too much about centerpieces.”

Mac looked to Jack confused when he noticed the lack of response. Jack was staring into the cooler with a baffled and betrayed look on his face. “What the heck is this stuff? Who was in charge of snacks?! There aren’t any chips or beef jerky. Where’s my jerky, man?!”

Mac peered into the cooler seeing the contents Jack took offense to. It was filled to the brim with fresh fruits, veggies and the occasional granola bar. Mac popped a grape in his mouth and smiled. “Don’t look at me. Riles was on snack duty this time. You know I would never stand between you and your jerky. Chips, maybe… You’re a loud chewer. But never the jerky.”

Jack exaggeratedly chomped down on a carrot to address his partner’s chewing comment before tossing the carrot at Riley to get her attention. “Riley, what is this? Are you trying to punish me for something?”

Riley picked up Jack’s half chewed carrot in disgust and tossed it back at him. “No Jack, I’m trying to keep myself from the punishment. This is a small van filled with a lot of dudes. The smells aren’t always pretty. Plus, I really wish you would start eating a little healthier. I saw your fridge the other day Jack. It’s like you made a bet with someone to see how much junk food you could eat before you keeled over.” Riley shot Mac a challengingly amused look when he laughed under his breath. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at MacGyver. You’re probably the person he made the bet with. If Bozer wasn’t around to feed you, you’d probably live off of kids’ cereals.”

Mac shot back. “Hey, I don’t care what they say, Trix are not just for kids! Plus, I feel for that rabbit. He’s very innovative. Some of those ideas he has are so close to success. He’d be good to go with just a few tweaks.”

Jack jumped in to defend his friend. “Yeah, and the sound those crispy ones make is just plain cool.”

Riley shook her head playfully. Leave it to these two… Mac would find some scientific way to justify liking a sugary children’s treat. And Jack liked any food that was interactive. He was a grown man who still had to be told not to play with his food.

She cupped Jack on the shoulder. “What would you do without me old man?”

Jack responded in a mocking nature, but he was always grateful for the extra bit of happiness Riley brought back into his life. “Well for starters, I would be eating something better than this rabbit food… but then I’d start missin’ you I ‘spose. I love you kiddo. You know I’m just messing with you, right? I appreciate you thinking of me… no matter how misguided you might be.”

Mac reminded Jack of a previous conversation they had about Riley. “I told you, Jack. Riles is the closest thing either one of us is going to get to having a healthy relationship with a woman.”

Riley scoffed. “As flattered as I think I am by that Mac, I can’t be a safety net for you two forever. At some point you are going to have to take a chance. Plus, you guys are a lot to handle. I think it is only fair that I divvy up the workload with someone else.”

Mac knew she was half joking, but there was a little part of him that knew she was right and that scared him. It was just easier to focus on his work. To be the job. He had tried the romance thing before and got burned in a big way. He was in no hurry to find himself in a situation like that again. He had completely closed himself off to the possibility of finding someone that he could build a life with. They were such a tight-knit little family. It was hard to imagine anyone else being introduced. He liked to tell himself that he didn’t need anyone else, that he didn’t need more. He had all the family he could ever need right here in this van. But if he looked a little closer at his feelings, he knew he would see the cracks in his story. He would have to admit to himself the small tinge of envy when he watched Bozer with Leanna, or the hopefulness he felt when he saw how happy Riley looked every time her phone dinged with another message from Billy. There were even times when the excitement of Jack’s online dating escapades had him second guessing his chosen life of solitude. That last line of thought could always send him down a spiral and a half. Just how “chosen” was his singleness? Maybe he really had just become the job. Maybe he didn’t have anymore to offer than just his brain. Maybe he was just undatable.

Jack could almost see Mac’s brain thinking. He decided to step in before his buddy ended up too far down that rabbit hole again. “Speaking of a lot to handle… Did I tell y’all about my date last weekend?” He took their silence as his que to go on. “It started off real nice. She was pretty as can be. Killer smile. We go out to dinner and we’re having some light banter. As usual, I’m winning her over with my humor… And then the worst thing you could think of happens.”

Riley was on the edge of her seat. “What?! She was actually a man?”

Jack brushed that off like it was nothing. “Pssh, I wish it was only as bad as that, but no… I made an amazing Die Hard reference and she didn’t have the first clue what I was talking about! So naturally I had to dig deeper and find out what version of Bruce was more her speed. Turns out I found myself on a date with someone who didn’t even know who Bruce Willis was!!! What kind of a woman doesn’t like Bruce Willis?”

Mac and Riley were both in hysterics. Riley could barely stop laughing long enough to ask her question. “Well for starters Jack, how old was this chick? Was she even alive when Die Hard came out?”

Mac chimed in. “Yeah Jack, maybe you should start expanding your dating pool a bit. Try fishing in a more mature pond.”

Jack was quick to defend himself. “I will have you know that there are plenty of self-respecting young ladies out there that are familiar with his filmography. Plus, I don’t think I am asking for too much. She just needs to be smart, funny, and beautiful. Preferably she’d have some sort of martial arts training and be able to hold her own in a firefight. I’m just a simple guy. Not hard to please…”

Riley almost choked on her laughter. “Not hard to please? You’re joking right? You basically just described a comic book character.”

Mac agreed. “Yeah, big guy. Don’t you think those standards might be a little unrealistic?”

Jack shook his head, standing his ground. “Nope, not at all. She’s out there Mac. I’m telling you; I can feel it. And I’ll know her when I see her.”

Before anyone could get in another word, Bozer called for their attention from the back of the van. “Guys come here! I think something is happening. Riley, some alarm is going off on your laptop.”

Excitement filled the van as Riley investigated. “I set my rig up to alert us whenever Senator Jenkins made an outgoing phone call to a number that wasn’t programmed in his phone. Thanks to Bozer’s little meet and greet with the Senator at City Hall yesterday, I was able to clone his phone.”

The team waited patiently to see who was going to be on the other end of the phone call. Riley was typing like crazy trying to ping a location. When the line finally picked up, they all recognized the familiar voice. They had been listening to it drone on for hours now, so it was unmistakable. The man the Senator had called was Harrison Bell.

Riley made quick work of connecting the phone call up to the equipment speakers so that the whole team could hear. The Senator did not sound happy. **“Bell! I thought we had an agreement. You said you were going to take care of our little security problem. I am paying you a lot of money so that I don’t have to worry about this kind of stuff. What’s the point of getting into bed with you if I have to do everything myself?!”**

Bell waited in silence for the Senator to calm down. His smooth British accent reached out to assure his anxious counterpart. **“Senator Jenkins, I can assure you that your money has been well spent. Have I not delivered on everything we’ve discussed? You are getting ahead of yourself and letting your emotions cloud your judgement.”** It was clear that last statement was meant as a warning to the Senator. Bell was not a man who liked to be questioned. He gave the orders, not the other way around. **“Now, if you would calmly explain the meaning of this call… I’m sure we can get this tucked away.”**

Jenkins was much more cautious in his reply. **“I’m talking about our project from last month. If everything went exactly as you planned, then why do I have some ball buster from the DA’s office telling me there is new evidence that could implicate me in that explosion?! What could they possibly have that could be traced back to me? Taking down that tech building was your part of the operation. I was only supposed to be involved with the cleanup and legislation afterward. How am I supposed to attach my name to that now? If we don’t get ahead of this fast, we won’t be able to control the narrative. We’d be dead in the water. And if they manage to link this to me, and then me to you… well we’d both have a serious problem, wouldn’t we?”**

The unnerving flicker in Bell’s voice was hard to detect, but Mac heard it. Maybe Bell was just as surprised by this new information as Jenkins. **“I see… That is a slight wrinkle that I too was unaware of.”** His pause was heavy with thought. **“What is the name of this attorney that approached you?”**

The Senator hesitated for a moment. He knew that this most likely was not going to end well for the lawyer. **“Elizabeth Marks. She’s at the bottom of the food chain in that office. My guess is that she hasn’t taken any of this information to her superiors, but I still don’t like that she’s sniffing around so closely.”**

Bell replied with confidence. **“Of course she hasn’t. She’d be foolish to bring this to her bosses without concrete proof. And if she had proof, she would not have been the one knocking on your door. The DA would have made that trip himself. No one in that office would bring accusations against a senator unless their case was ironclad. She was just trying to get a reaction out of you to see where you’d lead her. I’m assuming you remained poised?”**

The response that elicited was laced with annoyance and arrogance. “ **I’m a politician, Harrison. Deception is where I live. The only thing she got from me was directions to my door. I’m good under pressure but this mess is on you. I need you to handle this. I don’t care how, but it needs to be done quickly. More importantly, it needs to be done discretely. Do you think you can manage that?”**

The gruff tone the senator displayed was a little bit surprising. He clearly didn’t understand who he was dealing with. But Bell was exercising a vast amount of patience. **“Don’t worry, Senator. This matter will be settled by the week’s end. Consider your previous retainer payment untouched. This will be done gratis for your troubles.”**

**“Thank you, Harrison. Just see that it gets done. I’d like an update as soon as it’s finished.”** The restitution of funds seemed to take the edge off the senator’s attitude.

Bell responded flatly before hanging up the phone. “ **You have my word, Paul.”**

The phone line went dead as the team listened to the ominous silence. They had just heard a massive amount of information, but a lot of the context was missing. It was a great start though. Now they knew without a shadow of a doubt that Bell and the Senator were working together. They also had a name… Elizabeth Marks. If they could get to her and find out what she knew before Bell had a chance to carry out whatever he was planning, they might just be able to get one step ahead. That would definitely go a long way in helping them figure this one out. There were so many moving variables in this mission. They were going on little to no info where The Illicit was concerned. There was no way to tell just how deep that well ran. What was their ultimate goal here? To be honest, if their reputation proceeds them, this all seemed a little beneath their paygrade. There had to be more to this, but what that was still remained a mystery.

Quickly thinking on her feet, Riley switched the feed back over so that they could see what was going on with Bell in the aftermath of his chat with the Senator. He seemed to ease right back into a conversation with their party planner. **“Constance, my dear… I do apologize for the interruption. It was rude of me. Per usual, everything you have presented us here today is above expectations. Provided that my daughter seems content, I am giving you free reign. Let’s ask her, shall we?** ” The woman nodded as Bell beckoned for his daughter. **“Alexandra, darling! Come give your final thoughts so that Constance can be on her way. I’ve got some pressing business I need to attend to.”**

Bell’s daughter sauntered into the room to join her father. It was clear that she knew the urgency in his request, and she played her role perfectly. **“I love it all. Come Constance. Let’s leave these men to their boring old work while we finalize the details. I’m sure daddy will spare no expense to make my special night just as I want it.”**

Alexandra smiled as she leaned down to kiss her father on the cheek. There was nothing suspicious about that until Mac noticed Bell whispering something into his daughter’s ear before watching her lead the young woman out of the room. He wondered if anyone else had noticed too. Before he could ask, Jack spoke up. “Did anybody else catch that daddy-daughter exchange? Any clue as to what he said?”

Riley shook her head in disappointment. “No, not a word. The software can’t even get a match with lipreading. Her hair was covering his face.”

As soon as the ladies were out of earshot Bell turned to one of the men sitting with him. He gave a brusque order. Clearly, he had been saving face with his polite banter before. He was furious. **“Blanchard! Bring me the men you assigned to complete that last job we did with Senator Jenkins. I want to know who screwed up and how badly!”** The man he addressed as Blanchard was on his feet in seconds. Bell turned his attention to another one of his soldiers. **“Wilson, you find out everything you possibly can on this Elizabeth Marks person. I want to know who we are dealing with. Is Jenkins overreacting or do I need to send someone to fix this problem?!”**

Bell’s second goon moved expediently from the room to tackle his assignment. On his way out he passed Alexandra coming back into the room. She was carrying a glass of amber liquid that she extended to her father. Her smile beamed down at him, magically disarming his lit fuse. **“Two fingers, bourbon neat. Just the way you like it.”**

It was obvious that his daughter was the only soft spot in his armor. She had him wrapped completely around her little finger. Mac also found it interesting that Bell didn’t seem to be keeping her in the dark about the comings and goings of his business. She didn’t seem involved by any means, but she was nowhere near oblivious. Bell continued to discuss his current predicament with some of his more trusted associates while Alexandra sat quietly playing with the centerpieces and swatches that her party planner left behind.

About an hour had passed since Bell had sent his men out on their errands. Mac and the rest of the team had settled back into their spots in the van and were waiting with anticipation to find out what information Blanchard and Wilson were going to report back to Bell. Riley had done a little digging on her own to see what she could find out about Elizabeth Marks. They had discussed with Matty the possibility of maybe picking up Miss Marks before Bell’s people had a chance to reach her. Ultimately, they decided it was best to just wait and see how things transpired. If they interfered too soon it may tip The Illicit off to their presence and cause them to go even more underground. This was the closest anyone had ever been to exposing them and no one wanted to risk losing them just yet.

It was about half past three when Blanchard came bursting through the doors of Bell’s study with the two aforementioned men. They both looked understandably anxious as they were shoved down in the seats in front of Bell’s desk. Blanchard provided the introductions. **“This is Alton and Kerns. They were the leads on the Jenkins job last month. I vetted them myself, sir.”**

Bell did not look impressed. **“Gentlemen, it has come to my attention that we may have been a bit careless during this particular job. Things have gotten messy, and I do not do messy. Is there anything that either of you can tell me about the events of that night? Anything that I or Senator Jenkins should be concerned about? Any loose ends to tie up?”**

Kerns and Alton looked to each other for an answer but neither of them could think of anything alarming. Kerns spoke up. **“No sir. We took a in a 10-man TAC team to cover all our bases. We were in and out within an hour. Everything went just as we practiced in all of our drills.”**

Bell pushed for more information. **“You took ten men plus the two of you? There were six floors in that building. Did you sweep each floor to make sure they were clear?”** The men nodded. **“And what about the elevators? Did you disable those as well?”**

Kerns looked baffled. **“No sir. Why would we disable the elevators?”**

Bell had reached the end of his patience **. “Because you idiot! Elevators transport people quickly and quietly. What if someone got in on the ground floor after you had already cleared and moved on? Did you clear each floor again before making your exit and detonating the explosive?”**

He could tell by their silence that the answer was no. **“I thought as much. That’s very disappointing for me gentlemen. And it is terribly unfortunate for you. I believe this is the end of the road for our partnership.”** Bell stood from his desk and gestured for them to depart. Looking over their shoulders, he spoke directly to his associate with purpose. **“Blanchard will show you out. And don’t worry, he will make sure you get everything that you are owed.”**

There was something about Bell’s cadence that sent shivers down Jack’s spine. “Does anybody get the feeling that what these guys are owed is probably going to involve catching a bullet?”

Jack’s gut instincts were rarely wrong. Right on schedule, the unmistakable sound of two gunshots vibrated over the surveillance speakers. Bozer jumped back in his seat. “These guys are ruthless. They didn’t even wait to find out what information the lawyer had. What if it had nothing to do with these dudes?”

Sometimes Mac forgot how new all of this still was to Bozer and Riley. He and Jack had been in the game long enough to see more brutal things than this. “It doesn’t matter Boz. They left room for error. A man like Bell doesn’t gamble with that sort of thing. How do you think he has managed to stay so far ahead of every single law enforcement agency in the world?”

Riley hushed them as she tried to concentrate on what was happening inside. “Guys be quiet. Blanchard just walked back in. And there is someone else with him. I think it is that guy Wilson that Bell asked to research the lawyer.”

Riley was right. Blanchard and Wilson both walked to stand directly in front of Bell’s desk until he motioned for them to sit down. **“What do you have for me Wilson? I hope it is better than what Blanchard presented.”** Bell shot Blanchard a very displeased and accusatory look.

Wilson seemed apprehensive to go on but knew he had no choice. **“Jenkins was right. She does work at the DA’s office and she is at the bottom of the ranks. However, her record is very impressive. She hasn’t lost yet. She was one of the attorneys assigned to work that RICO case a couple months back with the biker gangs. She seems very competent at her job sir. She also happens to be the only granddaughter of Judge Hughes.”**

Bell was irritated again. **“Damn it! What did those blithering idiots miss that compromised this job?! Blanchard, if this can’t be settled to my standards, I am holding you responsible.”** He looked back to Wilson and continued. **“Do you have any suggestions Wilson?”**

Wilson went on. **“Well, from what I can tell she doesn’t have any knowledge of our roll in this. And whatever she has on Jenkins is being well hidden. She either has nothing substantial or it is something worth keeping close to the vest. We could always wait her out and see what comes of it. She doesn’t know we exist. We don’t need Jenkins. He’s a dime a dozen. Easily replaced.”**

Bell thought on that for a second but quickly shot it down. **“No, no… I’d hate to see what would happen if we left Jenkins up to his own devices. That bastard would squeal like the rat he is… We need to know exactly what she knows and how she knows it. We need to be careful though. This has to be handled exactly right.”**

Bell was surprised when his daughter chimed in. She usually stayed quiet when he was talking shop. **“Daddy, why don’t you have Ollie take care of it? That way you would know for sure that things were handled your way, but you could be kept out of it.”**

Blanchard responded harshly without thinking. “ **Why don’t you leave it to us, princess? I don’t think we need to call in a termination just yet.”**

Bell was about to step in to defend his daughter, but she beat him to it. **“Firstly, if you ever speak to me in that manner again, I will have your tongue cut out. And second of all, you buffoon, Ollie’s skills expand well beyond assassination. And that’s not even taking into account what Q brings to the table.”** She brushed over Blanchard like he was of no more importance than something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. **“Daddy, if you want the job done efficiently… they’re your answer.”**

Bell was thoroughly impressed with his daughter. He coaxed her on to see what other insights she had to offer. **“Brava Alexandra. And how would you arrange the exchange? It will need to be timely and well disguised.”**

Her smile beamed back at him. She already knew her answer. **“Set the meeting for my party on Friday. Everyone will already be here anyway. You’ll have numerous distractions to act as your cover. There will be people everywhere. No one will even notice.”**

Blanchard did not know when to shut up. **“Sir, don’t you think we shou…”**

Bell cut him off immediately. **“Make the bloody call, Blanchard. I know Ollie scares you a bit, but I think maybe that will be good for you. I wouldn’t want you to feel like you have too much job security. Comfort never really breeds excellence.”**

Bell left his entourage dumbfounded as he wrapped his arm around his daughter and walked her out of the room. They had their marching orders. None of them liked being outranked by Alexandra but Bell had given his final word.

Outside in the van the team was trying to make sense of everything they just heard. Riley spoke first. “What the hell just happened? Should we be worried about these guys they’re calling?”

Jack made a request. “Somebody get Matty on the line. She is going to need to hear about this.”

Mac pulled out his phone and dialed Matty. She answered in seconds. “Hey Mac. Tell me you’ve got something.”

Mac filled her in with the cliff notes version. “We’ve got a lot. Bell killed off the TAC team leaders before he got any information back on the lawyer. They were a liability he couldn’t afford. They had no idea what evidence she might have. His researcher came back with all the same information we were able to find on Elizabeth Marks. They know she works under the DA and they know about the RICO case. Oh, and they know about her grandfather being Judge Hughes. He wasn’t able to find out what she has on Jenkins, but he does know that she doesn’t know The Illicit is involved. “

Matty asked, “What about Marks? Is she in any immediate danger? Should we intervene?”

Jack leaned closer to Mac’s phone. “That’s where it gets tricky. They didn’t exactly say anything about hurting her, but they definitely want to question her to find out what she knows. Bell called in a team of specialists to take care of everything. They are arranging a face to face on Friday during his daughter’s birthday party. It will be the perfect cover to sneak her in undetected.”

Matty thought over everything they laid out for her. “Specialists? What kind of specialists? Do they have names?”

Bozer fielded that question. “It kinda sounds like these guys do it all. One of them goes by Ollie. Terms like assassination and termination were used a lot on his resume but according to Bell’s daughter, that’s only scratching the surface of what they are capable of. She also mentioned the name Q… I think they come as a package deal.”

Jack made a sarcastic quip. “Great, a 2 for 1 murder combo.”

Riley stated her observation. “The rest of Bell’s team did not sound excited that he made that phone call. They seemed scared. I’m not sure what our next step should be.”

Matty stated an observation of her own. “From what you’re telling me, it doesn’t sound like Marks is in any immediate danger. They won’t hurt her until they have what they need from her. That gives us until Friday to come up with a way to get you guys into that party.”

Jack asked, “So you don’t think we should go pick up the lawyer, or at least put a protective detail on her?”

Matty answered, “No, not yet. I don’t want to risk tipping them off. We have no idea who these new players are or when they are going to show up. I think for now we need to keep a close eye on Bell’s movements. Riley has the Senator’s phone monitored so we should be set where he is concerned. I also think we need to take a closer look at the daughter. I know she’s not active in the business, but she clearly has inside information that would be highly valuable to us.” Matty gave her next set of assignments. “Jack and Riley, I want you to stay on the daughter. See what you can learn. It may be a dead end, but I want us following every single lead on this one.”

Mac was curious what she had in store for him. “And what about me and Bozer? Do you want us to keep watching Bell?”

“Actually no,” Matty replied. “I want you and Bozer to look into these specialists. I know we don’t have a lot to go on, but we do have a name. Luckily for us, we have access to someone who would have run in the same circles as team with this particular skill set.”

Bozer didn’t like what he was hearing. “No way. She doesn’t mean…?”

Mac finished his sentence. “Murdoc… “

Matty confirmed their fear. “Yes, Bozer. That is exactly who I mean. If anyone is going to have information on a super-secret kill squad, it’s going to be Murdoc.” She was addressing the whole team now. “You guys should head back to the Phoenix for a debrief. We can pick things back up first thing tomorrow.”

Mac hung up the phone and looked over to his friend. “Sorry, Bozer. Looks like we don’t have a choice.”

**_Phoenix Black Site – Somewhere in California_ **

**_Even the moon would be too close…_ **

Mac and Bozer were on their way through a checkpoint at the secure facility where Murdoc was being held. Safety measures had been doubled after the last incident they had here with Murdoc escaping. No one was taking any chances even if the protocols did seem excessive.

Mac decided to check in on Bozer. “You okay, Boz? You don’t have to do this. You can wait out here and I can go in by myself.”

Bozer appreciated the gesture but there was no way he was leaving his friend alone with that psycho. “I’ll be fine. He just really gives me the creeps. The dude is obsessed. Doesn’t it freak you out the way he’s always staring at you?”

Mac agreed. “Yeah, it’s definitely a little unsettling. Don’t let him get under your skin.”

They had reached the end of the long hallway that led to the door of Murdoc’s cell. The guard unlocked the steel door revealing a waiting Murdoc chained to the interrogation table. The smile that was stretched across his face gave Mac the chills. Creepy… It was something in his eyes. It always felt like there was something sinister just below the surface.

As usual, Murdoc was the first one to talk. “Angus! I’m so happy to see you. I must say, you’re looking good. You cut your hair. I like it!”

Mac gave him a curt nod. “Murdoc…”

Murdoc feigned disappointment. “Oh, come now Angus. Why so cold? You must have missed me a little bit. Why else would you keeping dropping in to visit with me?”

Mac swallowed his pride and resisted the urge to walk out of the room. “We need your help, Murdoc.”

“Ahh, I see. Well, quid pro quo MacGyver. What’s in it for me?” He flashed them a smug smile.

Bozer lashed out in annoyance. “Cut to the chase Murdoc. Just tell us what you want…”

That elicited a chuckle from Murdoc, “Oh Wilt… Always quick to rush past the pleasantries. I mean, I don’t know how you stand it MacGyver. Is he always this tactless?”

Mac could feel the heat radiating off Bozer. He needed to get this conversation moving along so they could get out of here. “We don’t have time for pleasantries today Murdoc. Just name your price.”

“Fine…” Murdoc responded deflated. “I want a birthday dinner with Cassian. He gets whatever he wants to eat. And of course, he’ll need a present.”

Mac accepted the terms. That all seemed easy enough. “Done. As long as we get what we need out of you.”

Murdoc leaned back in his chair and opened his hands as an invitation. “Fire away, Angus.”

Mac got straight to the point. “What do you know about a group called The Illicit?”

Mac’s question was met with a sudden burst of laughter. “Oh, MacGyver… You never seem to disappoint.” When his outburst wasn’t rewarded by a response from Mac and Bozer, he moved on. “Fine… what do I know about The Illicit? Let’s see, I know that they’re a myth. A fairy tale we pass down to our future little criminals. You’re chasing your tail on this one Angus. You really are so gullible.”

Mac didn’t have the energy or the desire to present his case for The Illict’s existence. He decided to go another route. “What about the name Harrison Bell? Does that sound familiar?”

Now they were getting somewhere. “Ah, yes. It rings a bell if you will…”

Bozer rolled his eyes at Murdoc’s attempt to use pun humor. “How do you know him?”

Murdoc was starting to get miffed at their lack of participation in his antics. “He may have hired me once or twice to take out a target for him. He’s a stand-up guy. Very professional. Always pays top dollar but he expects perfection. He’s not the kind of guy you get second chances with. He’s very unpredictable. You never know what’s coming until it’s too late.”

Mac moved on. “What about the people he works with? Do you know any of them?”

Murdoc replied, “You’ll have to be more specific Angus. Bell has his fingers in a lot of cookie jars.”

“Do you recognize the name Ollie or Q? We don’t have last names, but we know that Bell is planning to reach out to them for a job.” Bozer asked.

Murdoc’s whole demeanor changed when recognition hit. He was suddenly very anxious and eager for this conversation to be over. “Ollie? Nope… can’t say that I know that one. Are we all through here? I’m missing my regularly scheduled programming.”

Mac called him out. “You’re lying. What is the deal with this name? Why is everyone’s first reaction fear? Tell me what you know Murdoc.”

Murdoc was digging in his heels. “Trust me, MacGyver. Let this one go. You don’t know what you’ve stumbled into here. If Bell is calling them in, then it’s already done. Game over, you lost. That’s all I’m saying. Take the warning and consider this me doing you a favor.”

“You seriously can’t tell us anymore than that?” Mac was skeptical.

Murdoc’s tone was final. “I can… but I won’t”

Mac and Bozer left the black site with only a little more information than when they came. Murdoc’s reaction was puzzling to Mac. He had seen Murdoc be a lot of things but afraid was never one of them. Clearly Mac’s wellbeing was not his primary motivation. He was protecting himself too. The question was, from what? There was no way they were going to stop investigating now. Too much was riding on this. Mac resided himself to finding out the hard way. He would just do what he did best and improvise.

**_Rodeo Drive – Some High-End Boutique_ **

**_All this girl does is shop…_ **

Jack and Riley had been following Alexandra around all morning. As far as they could tell she wasn’t doing anything other than going on an extravagant shopping spree. They had followed her to the caterer’s, the nail salon, her hair stylist, and now she appeared to be getting fitted for a party dress.

Jack was bored out of his mind. “Ugh! Is this really what hot chicks do all day?”

Riley grinned at him. “It takes a lot of effort to look like that, Jack. Did you think they just magically wake up like that every morning and flutter out into the world?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, kinda. That’s what I do, and I haven’t gotten any complaints lately.”

Riley couldn’t hold in her laughter. “You would! Just because you’ve got that smile doesn’t mean a little extra effort wouldn’t go a long way. I bet Mac’s morning routine takes some time.”

“Mac and I have very different aesthetics. My boy ‘s a looker for sure, we’re just two kinds of pretty. I guess I was just blessed with the more low maintenance type.” Jack winked at her jokingly.

Riley was about to retort with something sarcastic when her phone dinged with a message from Matty. She gave Jack a summary. “Matty is still working on the best way to get us into that party. The front runner right now is for us to go in as staff.” She paused to think that over. “I don’t think that is going to get us enough access. Especially if she is wanting us to find a way to talk to Alexandra. She doesn’t strike me as the type to hang out with the cater waiter.” She paused again as she watched Alexandra through the store window. “I think I have an idea on how to do both.”

Before Jack could process what was happening, Riley was already halfway across the street. He jumped out to catch her. “Riley! What are you doing? You heard Matty… we are not to engage under any circumstances.”

She whispered over her shoulder as they entered the store. “Relax Jack. Just trust me.”

Jack reluctantly backed off and put some distance between the two of them. He watched curiously as Riley selected a dress from one of the racks and slipped into the dressing room. It made him really uneasy not having eyes on her. He knew the Bell girl was probably harmless, but he still didn’t like it.

Riley appeared again a few minutes later wearing the dress she selected. She went over to the pedestal in front of a wall of mirrors to get a better look. She was only a few feet away from Alexandra now. She was waiting for the right moment to engage. It was going to be hard with the seamstress lurking around trying to close the sale. Riley chuckled under her breath at the latest accessory suggestion as the seamstress excused herself to retrieve it.

She wasn’t expecting Alexandra to address her. “Is there something about my outfit that you find funny?”

Riley took a page out of Mac’s playbook and decided to improvise. She could see Jack out of the corner of her eye and she knew he was seconds away from coming to her rescue. If she was going to do something, she needed to do it fast. She turned back to Alexandra and smiled. “No, it’s not that. You look great. But you clearly don’t like it.”

Alexandra reciprocated Riley’s smile. “Am I that obvious? I don’t want Hannah to think I’m rude. She’s put so much effort into this appointment already, but this dress does absolutely nothing for my figure.”

Riley extended her hand. “I’m Riley by the way.”

Alexandra offered her hand in return. “Alexandra, but you can call me Lexi. It’s nice to meet you Riley.”

Riley decided to take her chance. “So, what are you shopping for? Need something for a special occasion or is this a just because splurge?”

Alexandra’s face lit up with excitement. “I need a party dress worthy of my 25th birthday party. It needs to be grand. Totally over the top.”

Riley had found her in. “I know we just met like 30 seconds ago, but do you trust me?”

Lexi’s laugh was carefree. She was already comfortable with Riley. “At this point I trust you a lot more than Hannah. She couldn’t pry her lips off my butt long enough to see how much I hated this dress. What did you have in mind?”

Riley held up her index finger indicating for Lexi to wait a second. She came back shortly with a fire engine red slip dress. It had a slit that went halfway up the thigh and a v that would dip all the way to the small of her back. “I guarantee you that no one else will be wearing this. You don’t need the dress to be complicated. You’re so gorgeous, you can totally pull off simple. And not to be too forward, but your body is bangin’.”

Lexi's face flushed with color. She was about to respond when suddenly her expression changed. Riley couldn’t be sure, but she almost looked scared. “Riley don’t look now… but I think there is a man watching you. He keeps getting closer.”

Riley looked over her shoulder to see Jack pretending to look through the clothes on a nearby shelf. She laughed playfully. “It’s okay Lexi. That’s just Jack. He’s my personal security. Daddy won’t let me leave the house without him ever since some guy tried to mug me in the Starbucks parking lot. I told him he was overreacting, but he didn’t believe me.”

Alexandra was starting to feel more and more kindred to Riley by the minute. “I can relate to the overprotective dad. But at least they care.”

“Yeah…” Riley agreed as she looked back at Jack. No matter how annoying it could be sometimes, she was so grateful to have him back in her life. It was nice having someone to worry about her.

Alexandra interrupted her train of thought. “Hey, what are you doing Friday night? Do you want to come to my party?”

Riley had achieved exactly what she had set out to do. Mac would be proud. “I’d love to! Can I bring a couple friends?”

Lexi assumed she would. “Bring whom ever you’d like. The more the merrier. You can even bring your hot bodyguard.” Riley caught the glib smirk on Jack’s face out of the corner of her eye. She’d never hear the end of that one. “Give me your phone number and I’ll drop you the party details.”

Riley had successfully secured a way for her entire team to get into the party. Now all they had to do was identify Ollie and his partner. She hoped that Mac and Bozer had as much luck with Murdoc as she did with Bell’s daughter. The only thing she had to worry about now was how mad Matty was going to be about her breaking the no contact protocol…


End file.
